@wessiscoe.bsky.social
Philosophy professor at The Ohio State University thinking about Rationality, Virtue, & Democracy. Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of @thephillibrary.bsky.social
I grew up the son of a Baptist preacher. Unsurprisingly, the first time I read the word ‘philosophy’ was in the Bible. The message was not a positive one.
And somehow I still ended up a philosophy professor!
Our first full year at @thephilosopher.bsky.social just wrapped, and what a year it was. It has been humbling, building a website and teaching library from scratch. For helping me learn that there are many, many things I don't know how to do, thank you to everyone who made it possible!
07.01.2026 17:44 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0No way there’s another discipline with more inaccurate caricatures
19.12.2025 01:35 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0The good news: There is a new movie about philosophy professors out on @primevideo.bsky.social
The bad news:
A Korean translation of my @1000wordphilosophy.bsky.social article on epistemic arguments for democracy is now available. Unfortunately I can't read it to see if they translated me correctly. An overlooked application for Google translate
03.12.2025 17:38 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0homeowners 🏡
12.11.2025 19:54 — 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Along the way, we touched on:
📖 How teaching in the Mississippi Delta reshaped my vision of education
📖 Why philosophy must move beyond specialization to recover its practical vocation
📖 The “Philosophy as a Way of Life” movement and its call to form whole persons
I was interviewed for the Classical Commons podcast on @thephillibrary.bsky.social. The question - can the Library be a good resource for classical educators?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud-Z...
New @thephillibrary.bsky.social promo video just dropped. Enjoy the drone shots of @notredame.bsky.social's campus!
30.10.2025 14:55 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0NBC came to my class! Proud of my students for stepping out of their comfort zones and discussing difficult issues with their peers.
07.10.2025 18:38 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Interested in what we are doing at the Chase Center?
We will be hiring several faculty members this year at all levels. Deadline is the end of the day on October 10th (link in comments)
1 year down. And we're just getting started
24.09.2025 17:03 — 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0From my wife Laura on political signaling while mourning Charlie Kirk. There's no need for "even though I don't agree with his politics..."
"The psychological impulse of our culture has become to see a person’s politicized identities before we see the person who possesses them."
Can't say enough good things about @edutmer.bsky.social scholarship in ancient philosophy. Glad we could feature him on @thephillibrary.bsky.social !
03.09.2025 17:57 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Judah’s first tailgate. Go Buckeyes!
31.08.2025 14:14 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Somehow they chose a philosopher to teach the first Chase Center class on the Declaration of Independence. Good luck to all involved (including myself!)
28.08.2025 17:17 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Have heard complaints that there are not good, accessible teaching materials on conservative political thought.
Here is just that from @tristanjrogers1.bsky.social
With commitment, anything can be a bed
14.08.2025 17:05 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0And while we're at it, here is a recent article from the Center's very own Nathan Oakes over at the @thephillibrary.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/thep...
The Center for Practical Ethics at @olemiss.bsky.social is hiring a Director of Strategic Ethics Education Initiatives. The Center "models and facilitates civil discourse" and "develops the skills needed for character-building". PhD in philosophy a plus!
Job listing can be found in the link below:
Having the opportunity to encourage the next generation of leaders, and being included in a program with those that I have learned so much from – including Fr. Greg Pine, Jennifer Frey, Michael Gorman, and Fr. Dominic Legge – is such an amazing privilege.
09.07.2025 17:43 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0I was honored to speak at the Thomistic Institute’s student leadership conference at @catholicuniversity.bsky.social.
For me, this is an experience of coming full circle. In just 2018, I was one of those student leaders, starting a chapter of TI at the @uarizona.bsky.social.
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04.07.2025 15:43 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0CALL FOR PAPERS: Come join us at Ohio State for the Chase Center's first annual conference on Civic Thought, Education, and Leadership. A limited number of $500 travel stipends available. Application details below!
18.06.2025 17:10 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0